Here is a copy of an email I sent in reply to comments yesterday ……..

As for the BSJ, first off I don’t know why I thought that a miracle would occur and I would be overcome with love of the garter stitch. I never, never like garter stitch in garments. I sometimes don’t even like reverse stockinette on cable sweaters if they aren’t heavily cabled. So you see, my main objection is just a personal preference and in no way should keep you from trying this thing out.

The construction itself is pretty fascinating. It claims to be reversible. Which the perfectionist in me will not allow. At one point, you need to pick up 20 stitches. No matter how neatly stitches are picked up, they always leave a ridge. That ridge on the outside is a deal breaker for me. So my own BSJ has now become a one sided affair.

What I did not realize was that the side I thought would be the outside – the side with the proper edge of the long tail cast on as well as the lovely decreases showing – was in fact going to end up on the inside. (I hope this is making some sort of sense) Combined with the “I hate garter stitch” thing, this put me over the edge. Along with this yarn pilling up all over the place (and I am not rough with my knitting at all). ***Anita tells me that this pilling is really not a problem and that the yarn just gets better with wear so maybe I should finish this sweater and see how the yarn actually performs.

So, my final recommendation is to only knit this if you like garter stitch. If you like that stitch, then make your first BSJ a sort of test run so you can really see how the construction plays out in the final product. And then spend some $$ on nice yarn and make more.

The pig of the day is multiple pigs. I have four of these hanging in my living room window. I hope you can see that their wings are stained glass. The four have different colors, but only two pictures came out well.

Here is an AFAIG.??? As Finished As It Gets.

This is my Baby Surprise Jacket done in Blue Sky Dyed Cotton. First let me say that while the Blue Sky is a dream to work with and feels so soft and cozy, it is already pilling! I tried to get a close up of the edge – this sweater looks like it has been worn for a few months already. Secondly, while the BSJ is a marvelous feat of engineering, I really don’t like the finished result. Too garter stitchy for me and also what I thought was going to be the outside turned out to be the inside! All the care I took in making sure I had the proper side after the long tail cast on and also my very cool decreases are all going to waste on the inside.

Given my feelings of overwhelming blahness about this project I have decreed that this will not get another moment of my time – no buttons, no finishing seam. I shall cram it in a drawer and that will be that. I am glad I knit it, I have been intriuged by this project. But it’s like Space Mountain …. for me, once is enough.

I bet you thought I forgot about this project. And you were almost right! Last night I picked up and began knitting for the facing hems of my % sweater project! I have made a solemn promise to work on this and this alone until it’s done.

The pork report continues from the living room. This happens to be one of my favorite pieces. It is a humidor that I found at a garage sale. Actually, garage sale is too strong a word. Someone was throwing out furniture. I stopped to see if there were any treasures within the piles of stuff. I got into a conversation with the eldery home owner who said they were moving and was I interested in seeing what else was in the house? Am I interested in poking around someone old person’s house who wants to get rid of stuff??!! it is a dream come true for me! So I bought this fabulous piece – he had two, but had promised one to someone else. I found one just like it on ebay and it has more information about the origins.